narrate
Americanverb (used with object)
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narrates,
present (3rd person singular)
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narrated,
past participle, past
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narrating
present participle
verb (used without object)
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narrates,
present (3rd person singular)
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narrated,
past participle, past
-
narrating
present participle
verb
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to tell (a story); relate
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to speak in accompaniment of (a film, television programme, etc)
Synonym Usage
See describe.
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
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narraternoun
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narratornoun
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misnarrateverb
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narratableadjective
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unnarratableadjective
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unnarratedadjective
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well-narratedadjective
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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narratesimple
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narratessimple
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have narratedperfect
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has narratedperfect
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am narratingprogressive
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are narratingprogressive
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is narratingprogressive
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have been narratingperfect progressive
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has been narratingperfect progressive
Past
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narratedsimple
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had narratedperfect
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was narratingprogressive
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were narratingprogressive
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had been narratingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of narrate
First recorded in 1650–60; from Latin narrātus (past participle of narrāre ”to relate, tell, say”), equivalent to nār(us) “knowing, acquainted with” (variant of gnārus; see cognition) + -ātus -ate 1
Explanation
When you tell a story or describe something out loud, you narrate. You might hire a well-known actor to narrate your documentary film about circus elephants. One way to narrate is to comment on or describe visual images — photographs or scenes in a film, for example. You can also narrate a story simply by relaying the details aloud. In books, a character sometimes narrates the story as well. It appears that narration, or the action of telling a story, came before narrate, from the Latin root narrare, "to tell, relate, or recount," or literally, "to make acquainted with."
Vocabulary lists containing narrate
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
See Examples For:
After talking it through with her family and editor Elizabeth Méndez Berry, she warmed to the idea, realizing that the book didn’t have to just focus on her, that biography could also narrate community.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 9, 2026
"You have to narrate the story of what you are doing three or four or five times a day so that you are out there regularly," Hyman said.
From BBC ● Aug. 20, 2026
Since first emerging online in 2019 on the online bulletin board 4chan, the Backrooms phenomenon has expanded across Reddit, TikTok, YouTube and gaming platforms, where users collectively map, narrate and extend its mythology.
From Science Daily ● Jul. 26, 2026
It is curious to hear an accomplished sound engineer narrate his own memoir.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 26, 2026
“Chai time,” I narrate as I pan across the room.
From "Amina's Song" by Hena Khan
Willy Wonka actor Gene Wilder "narrates" the show, explaining the various games to contestants.
From BBC ● Sep. 23, 2026
Harry Sparkes, from Harpenden, Hertfordshire, stars in Thomas & Friends: Railway Stories alongside Crazy Rich Asians actor Henry Golding, who narrates the series in a role made famous by Sir Ringo Starr.
From BBC ● Sep. 17, 2026
Octavius and Agrippa were devastated, as the novel narrates, but they learned more shocking news.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 28, 2026
Warsh’s push to pare back how the Fed narrates its outlook for jobs, growth and inflation—and how it weighs the risks around it—has left markets with more uncertainty about the central bank’s tactics.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 1, 2026
He takes a deep breath and narrates: “Dear future wife...”
From "What If It's Us" by Becky Albertalli and Adam Silvera
But the tale of that Thursday’s spontaneous, viral resistance is narrated by its proud participants.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 2, 2026
Tsuda is demanding TikTok remove a slew of videos narrated by a distinctively "deep" and "lustrous" voice that the 55-year-old says can only be his.
From Barron's ● Sep. 27, 2026
Olympics on Wednesday, publicly beginning her attempt for a third Olympic Games in a video narrated by NBA legend Michael Jordan.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 2, 2026
Our local host narrated what followed with the ease of a docent: yellow croaker steamed in fragrant rice wine and a whole fruitwood-roasted duck, brought out intact before being carved three ways tableside.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 1, 2026
“It looks like this race is NOT over yet!” the announcer narrated over the loudspeaker.
From "Witchlings" by Claribel A. Ortega
A third ad includes images of Mount Rushmore, with Trump narrating that “the United States of America is the most successful, most accomplished, most exceptional nation ever to exist in human history.”
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 29, 2026
The Americans bought into the package and Zuffa Boxing leaned heavily into his aura, with Dame Helen Mirren narrating a promotional film charting his rise.
From BBC ● Sep. 13, 2026
Smith makes treats like Skittles, gummy bears and pasta festooned with marigold petals, narrating each step in a baby-soft voice while wearing dreamy fits.
From Salon ● Sep. 12, 2026
He wants to get the Fed out of narrating its outlook, so as to avoid polluting market signals about that same outlook.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 28, 2026
John starts talking, but only in English: he is narrating what he sees, in the tone of a reporter.
From "Native Speaker" by Chang-rae Lee
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
